Race and identity loom large in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' plays. So it fits that in "Everybody," his update of the 15th century morality play, "Everyman," everybody in the cast plays Everybody. Almost, anyway. Five actors, of various race and gender, rotate in the part that is assigned in a pre-performance lottery. It's an interesting gambit, though more so for the cast than theatergoers. The actor playing God, who calls upon Everybody to account for his/her life, Death, and Love stay the same. Goofy glow-in-the-dark "Jason and the Argonauts"-style skeletons energize the talky, sometimes trying show. And there is a reassuring reminder. We go through our lives and to our end alone, sure. But when it comes to love, you can take it with you.

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In "Kid Victory," Brandon Flynn plays a teen who goes missing and returns home to his mother, played by Karen Ziemba.

A new musical by composer John Kander, whose credits include the iconic "Cabaret" and "Chicago," to name a couple, is an automatic event. It just is. This Off-Broadway production, written with Greg Pierce, his collaborator on the 2013 musical "The Landing," follows the return of a teenage boy after being abducted and going missing several months. If that doesn't sound like a story that naturally sings — and themes of religion and sexuality only add to that — the creators haven't provided a persuasive case that it does. Despite a talented, hard-working cast, songs far too often stop the show dead in its tracks. "Kid Victory" is a drama taken captive by pretty toe-tappers and romantic ballads that clash with the narrative.

The multigenerational family drama is a staple on New York stages. This year's offering, by rising-star writer Steven Levenson (he wrote the book for the current hit musical, "Dear Evan Hansen") is set in the early part of the George W. Bush administration and concerns a Jewish American family. Like many of these types of works, there are secrets, lies and squabbles. There are also shades of "Dividing the Estate," "The Humans" and "August: Osage County." But one character's controversial and incendiary take on the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine conflict makes Levenson's work singular. There are some issues. Credulity strains at times — wouldn't a professor wait until he has tenure before publishing a surefire hot potato of a book? Just asking. And the plot snowballs in the final stretch. Still, the excellent cast mines every bit of fury and humor. "If I Forget" is whip-smart, bold and, finally, memorable.